


The Brightest Shade of Sun

by aces_low



Series: drabbles and ish [8]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tattoos, Flirting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 15:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10028477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aces_low/pseuds/aces_low
Summary: Joe doesn't understand the tattoos George keeps asking him for, but as long as he gets to keep seeing George he's not going to question it too hard.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for a prompt I received on tumblr for "You run a tattoo parlor. Every couple of weeks, the same customer comes in, always requesting the same tattoo: an additional tally mark on an ever-growing cluster of tally marks." For Luztoye. 
> 
>  
> 
> This is not meant to be a representation of the real men, this is based solely off of the HBO characters.

“Your boy is back,” Guarnere calls to Joe from the front of the shop.

“Who?” Joe asks, distracted as he arranges his station.

“Don’t play dumb, you know _who_.”

Before Joe has a chance to argue, the sound of the bell on the door rings, signifying the arrival of their newest customer. Joe doesn’t have to wonder who it is for long when a loud “heeeeere’s Georgie!” sounds from the front of the tattoo parlor.

Joe rolls his eyes at his ridiculous customer, but is also glad that nobody can see the slight grin that spreads across his face without his permission.

He makes sure his face relaxes back into its normal, unamused scowl before he heads to the front of the store, stopping before he reaches the curtain separating the back of the tattoo shop to the front.

“Is he not here?” Joe hears George ask Bill.

“Why don’t you let me get you today, Luz? I can draw a line just as good as Joe can,” Guarnere offers, ignoring George’s question.

“Oh, well…” 

“You’re not stealing my customers that easy, Guarnere,” Joe says, stepping out from the behind the curtain to see his business partner, Bill Guarnere, leaning against the glass counter, and George Luz, his newest regular customer, beaming at Joe from the other side of that counter.

“Joe!” George greets, perking up at little at the sight of him. “I was afraid I was gonna have to come back another day.”

“I _do_ know how to draw a line,” Guarnere argues, looking between the two of them.

Joe can’t dispute that, he wouldn’t have started this tattoo shop with Bill if he wasn’t a good artist, but that doesn’t mean he’s letting him take his best customer from him. 

“So, let me guess, you’re wanting a great big butterfly, right on your back,” Joe addresses George, ignoring Bill’s comments.

George rolls his eyes. “Leave the jokes to me, Joe. Nope, just the usual today.”

Joe nods his head toward the back of the shop, where the actual tattooing takes place, and George makes his way around the counter.

“One of these days I’m gonna convince you to get a real tattoo,” Joe tells him as they walk to his station.

“Excuse me? What have I been getting these last few months? Have you just been poking me with needles this whole time?” Luz jokes as he sits himself down, somewhat of an expert at what is expected of him, seeing as this is his fifth time coming to Joe.

Joe begins prepping, washing his hands, getting his equipment ready, and pulling on gloves all while Luz pulls off his T-shirt and sits up a little straighter.

“You ever gonna tell me what these are for?” Joe asks, cleaning the spot above George’s shoulder blade that he’s grown familiar with over these past few months. 

The four dark lines that Joe has added one by one are all about a half inch long, and they all look healed and taken care of. Now that there are more lines, Joe is starting to not dislike George’s tattoos so much. The first line had been baffling, when George Luz had come into Joe’s shop, asking for him to tattoo just one tally mark on his shoulder, Joe almost told him to leave. But George had accepted the minimum fee and appeared sober, so Joe went ahead with the strange, minimalist tattoo. When George had come in about three weeks later, asking for a second tally mark, Joe had been intrigued. By the third, Joe hadn’t been surprised to see George Luz walk through the doors. Though he had offended George when he had asked him if he was wasting time and money like this because he could only stand so much pain. George had responded with the vague reply that he only got the tally marks when he “had to”. Joe had no idea what that meant, but since George refused to tell him what the tattoo actually means Joe hadn’t asked any more questions.

George looks back at Joe and grins. “Not today. I thought you’d be excited, Joe! You get to change it up, since it’s five it’ll need to go across the others, you can do that, right?”

“Yeah, I think I can manage a diagonal line,” Joe deadpans. 

“I knew you would, you’re so talented and all,” George says, turning toward the front.

Joe just huffs a little in amusement before leaning in to get to work.

 

George rolls his eyes as Joe goes through his regular spiel of proper cleaning and care for the tattoo, but Joe ignores him and keeps talking, he’s not going to get his business in trouble because one of his customer’s gets careless.

Though, so far, George has been good about taking care of his small tattoos, so Joe has no reason to believe he’ll not do the same with this new one. 

As Joe is finishing his speech and taking George’s credit card he waits for the other part of George’s visits. And, just as always, George doesn’t disappoint.

“So, do you give your girlfriend or boyfriend free tattoos?” George asks, leaning on the glass countertop, acting casual but obvious.

“I don’t give anyone free tattoos, it’s not good for business,” Joe tells him, deliberately avoiding the actual response George had been hoping to get out of him.

“Right, well…have you tattooed your current girlfriend or boyfriend?” 

Joe raises an eyebrow at that, George is always a little overly flirtatious, but he’s never been quite this concerned with Joe’s actual dating status before, so Joe decides to bend a little.

“Not dating anyone at the moment, but I’ve tattooed a few of my exes…before we were exes, that is.”

The wide grin on George’s face somehow gets even wider.

“Single then, huh? Interesting.”

“Not really,” Joe says, holding George’s card out to him.

George ignores the card for a moment as he continues to look at Joe with a too wide smile on his face.

“So, those exes of yours…are they ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends?”

Joe’s eyes narrow into a glare. “I don’t think that’s really any of your business,” he tells him with a little more force than normal, holding the card out even farther.

George’s smile drops and his eyes widen, grabbing the card with fumbling fingers. “I didn’t…you’re right, I’m sorry, it’s none of my business,” he says quickly, trying to shove his card back into his wallet.

Joe drops his glare, usually he likes making people feel a little uneasy like this, but it’s not a look he’s used to seeing on George, and it’s not one he finds he enjoys.

“It’s okay, I’ll see you next time, yeah?” he offers, hoping to ease the tension he just created.

George’s smile is back, though a little tentative now. “Yep, or, I guess if there _is_ a next time. We’ll just have to wait and see. Later, Joe!” 

With a quick wave George is gone, leaving Joe with a weird feeling of disappointment and maybe even dread that he’s not going to get to see George Luz again.

 

Joe doesn’t have to worry for too long though, as George comes back only three weeks later for his sixth tally mark, then again, a month after that for his seventh. George continues to come, requesting only Joe to give him his tattoo and mildly flirting before he leaves. He doesn’t get quite as specific again, and Joe can admit to himself that he’s a little disappointed, knowing it’s his own fault for that. 

He tries to remind himself that he knows guys like George, they like to flirt with guys like Joe, but any time he’s shown any interest back they tend to retreat. People like George like the idea of hooking up with someone like Joe, but they’re never actually interested in the reality. So, Joe just lets George flirt, and tries to keep his own interactions as casual as possible.

That is, until one late afternoon when a short, tanned man walks into the shop, or rather storms in, to be more accurate.

“Are you Joe?” the guy asks.

He nods in confirmation, figuring he’s heard about Joe from a customer.

“And you know George Luz?” 

“Sure, did George recommend me?” he asks, thinking it’s kind of funny that a guy who only gets small lines every few weeks would be able to recommend him to anyone.

“Listen, man. You’ve either gotta stop tattooing George, or you gotta ask him out. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna die if this keeps up any longer.”

“What?”

“If you’re not gay or bi or whatever, fine. But tell George he’s gotta get his tattoos from someone else. He can’t keep coming to you.”

Joe’s not thrilled with this stranger trying to talk about his sexuality to him, but he’s also not thrilled at the idea of not seeing George again. Maybe all his flirting had been real, and he should just ask him out.

“What do _you_ have to do with George getting tattooed by me?” he asks, instead of the incredibly embarrassing desire to ask this stranger if George really likes him.

“Because, we made a deal, that anytime one of my schemes get him hurt or in trouble, _I_ have to get a tally mark, and any time one of _his_ schemes gets me hurt or in trouble he has to get a tally mark.” 

The guy lifts up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal his arm with three tally marks on it. Much less than George’s nine.

“So-“ Joe starts, but the guy cuts him off.

“So! I’m pretty sure he’s having us do dangerous shit just so he can come in and get another tattoo, and I’m pretty sure if we all keep this up _I’m_ the one that’s gonna pay for it!” 

Joe stares at the guy for a few moments, trying to decide what to do about this, and to deal with the conflicting emotions running through him. The thrill that George may actually like him as more than just a random guy to flirt with, the annoyance that George might actually be putting his life in danger just to see him, and the accompanying flattery to go along with that thought as well.

“What’s your name?” Joe finally asks.

“Frank Perconte,” the guy answers, his anger has subsided and now he’s looking a little less confident than before.

“So, if you’re so sure that George keeps coming here because he likes me, why hasn’t he just asked me out yet?” Joe knows he’s hedging, but he has to be sure before he starts getting his hopes up.

Frank rolls his eyes, his slight weariness from before overshadowed by his annoyance once again.

“He can’t figure out if you’re straight or not. Trust me, if he knew, he’d have pounced on you months ago.”

That startles a short laugh out of Joe.

“Well, next time he comes in I’ll tell him to take it easy on you from now on, yeah?”

“No, I mean it, man, I can’t do another one. I actually came here on my way to meet him. I was hoping maybe you’d come with me? He’s got a new plan and I’m pretty sure he mentioned something about base jumping and…just… _please_. Just either invite him home with you or tell him to fuck off, but I need you to talk to him _tonight_. Please, we’re meeting at a bar just a few blocks away, you don’t even have to travel far.” 

“Can’t you just say ‘pass’ on whatever idea he comes up with?” Joe asks, not really sure why he’s still fighting this.

The confused look on Frank Perconte’s face is enough for Joe to understand what kind of friendship George and Frank have. There’s no opting out on each other’s ideas, no matter how extreme they get.

“He’ll go.” Bill’s voice suddenly comes from behind Joe. “Don’t worry, I’ll close up shop.”

Joe turns to scowl at Bill for taking away his last excuse, but Bill just smiles even wider.

After closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, and counting to ten, Joe resigns himself to his fate and follows Frank out of the shop.

The two walk down the street in an awkward silence for a few minutes before Frank speaks up.

“Uh, you are gonna actually ask him out, right? He might never forgive me if I really invited you just to tell him to fuck off.” 

Joe raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t respond, enjoying the trepidation he can feel radiating off of Frank.

Entering the bar, Joe lets Frank take the lead as they walk toward the back of the room. It’s still early, so there aren’t a lot of people in the bar yet, and Joe spots George and three other guys at a table off to the side, several pieces of paper spread out in front of them.

As they approach, a red-head, who has been listening to George talk with a frown on his face, looks up and notices them.

“Hey Frank, who’s your friend?” the red-head asks.

The rest of the table turns to look at Joe and Frank as they walk up, including George, whose eyes widen in an almost comical fashion.

“Joe!” George nearly yelps as he stands up, almost reflexively.

The dark-haired guy at the table goes from looking confused to a smirk spreading across his face.

“Oh, is this _The_ Joe?” he asks, and Joe feels about as embarrassed as George looks.

“What are you doing here?” George asks, then quickly shoots a glare at Frank, who just shrugs and sits down at the open chair they’d saved for him.

Joe hadn’t really expected to have an audience like this, and he can feel his nerves thrumming underneath his skin. So, in typical Joe Toye fashion, instead of saying what he actually wants to say, he lashes out.

“Are you a fucking idiot?” he growls.

Luz’s face goes from embarrassed to startled, while the rest of the table drops the smirks they’ve been sporting.

“Have you been putting yourself and your friends into dangerous situations just so you could see me?” A voice in the back of Joe’s head is telling him to dial down his angry tone, but he’s never been great at that.

George looks down at the table for a moment before crossing his arms and shrugging.

Joe sighs and rubs a hand over his face.

“I mean, it’s not just because of that,” George argues, finding his voice again. “We always do things like this, it’s why we started the tattoo deal in the first place.”

“The deal was put in place so we’d do _less_ of this stuff,” Perconte mumbles from his seat.

George shoots Frank another glare before turning his gaze back to Joe, his eyes showing his apprehension. 

“So…do you want to go out sometime then?” Joe asks, dropping his glower and softening his voice a little, though it still comes out harsher than he’d like.

George blinks at him for a moment and drops his arms down to his side.

“I-what?” he stammers out.

“Do you want to go out with me?” Joe asks again.

“Really?” George’s voice is so hopeful that Joe can’t help but grin a little.

“If we go out, will you promise not to do any more stupid shit like this?”

George still seems to be wrapping his head around Joe’s quick change of mood, so it takes him a few seconds before he responds. Once the words seem to pierce his understanding he quirks an eyebrow up.

“Ever? I can’t make that promise. How about no stupid shit for a month?”

“A year.”

“Two months?”

Joe scowls. “Three.”

Luz looks like he thinking it over hard for a moment. “Okay, depending on how the date goes, and whether or not you stick around, I won’t do any stupid shit for three whole months.”

“Fine.”

George’s responding grin nearly lights up the room and Joe feels his stomach swoop.

“So, what do you want to do?” George asks, stepping away from the table and closer to Joe.

It’s Joe’s turn to be caught off guard. “Oh, uh, I didn’t mean right now. We can make plans for another time.”

“Why? Are you busy now?”

“No, but you are,” Joe reminds him, nodding his head toward George’s friends.

“Screw those assholes,” George says, his eyes never leaving Joe’s as he waves his hand in their direction. 

There are weak protests from the table, but no one actually seems insulted so Joe just laughs.

“Okay, uh, dinner?” he asks.

George’s smile somehow brightens even more and without saying anything, to Joe or his friends, George just grabs Joe’s hand and starts making his way toward the exit.

Joe looks back at George’s friends, but none of them seem put out by George’s rude departure, in fact, they all appear to be cheering for Frank, who is taking the applause proudly. 

“So, anywhere in particular you’d like to go?” Joe asks as they step outside.

George shrugs. “You got a car? We could get something to go and then make out in your backseat.”

Joe laughs and pulls George in a little closer.

“How about after I learn a little more about you than just your name and your penchant to put your friends into dangerous situations?” he offers.

George just smiles again and squeezes Joe’s hand.

“Deal.”

 

**Three months and one day later**

“Your boy is here,” Guarnere calls from the front of the shop.

Joe walks up to the front just in time to see Luz walk through the door. He grins and gives George a short kiss in greeting.

“Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you had plans with Perconte.”

Luz’s grin goes from warm to sheepish and he wraps his arms around Joe a little tighter.

“Yeah, but then he said he had to go home and lay down for a while. He’s a little overdramatic.”

Joe furrows his brow at his boyfriend’s words.

George understands it for the silent question that it is and responds.

“So…I guess I’m gonna need another tattoo,” George says slowly, making his voice as sugary sweet as possible.

It doesn’t work, because Joe’s face darkens as he realizes George’s meaning. “Are you kidding me? You couldn’t wait a _day_?” He growls, releasing Luz from his hold.

“The deal was three months, Joe!” George argues.

“Jesus Christ,” Joe huffs then points a finger at George. “Perconte better not ever get another one of those tattoos again.”

George rolls his eyes. “Yeah, don’t worry, he took your first twenty threats to heart. Nobody really got hurt, like I said, Perconte’s just dramatic.”

Joe glares at him for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m not doing it, I’m not gonna be involved in any of this. Find someone else to tattoo you.”

“I don’t want anyone else tattooing me,” George whines, then adds “no offense, Bill.”

Guarnere just waves him off. 

They stand in the middle of the shop for a minute, neither willing to back down, before a smirk spreads across Joe’s face.

“Fine, I’ll tattoo you. But no sex until it’s healed.”

Joe only waits until he sees George’s face fall before he heads toward the back room.

“Joe!” George yells from the front. “Okay, wait, Joe let’s talk about this.”

“Let’s get that shirt off, Luz, get you your tenth tally,” Joe yells from behind the curtain.

“This hurts you too, Joe!” Luz yells.

Bill chuckles in delight as Luz chases after his stubborn boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> If you ever want to send me a prompt I am @aces-low on tumblr.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
